Bleach: Light in the Darkness
by Hanamaru Kurosaki
Summary: Ren Hayashi has had a troubled past. When she meets Renji Abarai and is taken tothe Sould Society, she thinks her life might finally become one worth living. However, when she is assigned to to Karakura Town, her past comes back to haunt her. Ichigo Kurosaki and the gang step up to help her, and she soon finds that she has feelings for the Strawberry. Will her past ruin everything?


The moon shone brightly, casting an eerie glow to a dark alleyway down below. There were no street lamps in that part of town, and all the buildings were falling apart. Some buildings looked like they could have been happy homes once upon a time, but now the windows to most of them were broken, having been looted of anything of value long ago. There were buildings where the roofs had caved in, the walls slowly crumbling down from years of neglect and decay.

The night was calm and peaceful, giving a sense of security and that all was well. However, all was not as it seemed, for at that very moment a piercing scream could be heard and a mighty roar quickly followed. A young girl, no older than twelve years of age with long, straight ebony hair that stretched to right above her bottom, ran for her life, terror evident in her light blue-grey eyes. Close behind her, a horrible monster ran after her. At first glance it seemed like a humongous centipede, much larger than the tallest building in the area, but instead of being brown, like many centipedes, it was chalk white, with a strange mask that covered its face. On its many legs, there were small sharp daggers that glinted menacingly in the moonlight.

"Stop running and let me eat you already!" it growled in a booming voice, making the young girl's skin crawl. She ran ever faster, silently thanking herself for being on the track and field team at school. She had always been a fast runner, much faster than any of her classmates, but no matter how much faster she ran, the centipede monster easily caught up to her. She let out another scream as the monster slammed down one of its pointy legs, barely missing her leg.

"Now I've got you!" it cackled, slamming its leg down once more, this time stabbing through the poor girl's leg. She let out a horrible scream, filled with pain and suffering. The monster lifted its leg up, soaked with blood that dripped onto the ground. "Your soul seems so delicious! Unlike anything I have ever tasted before! I shall enjoy devouring you!" the monster cried with excitement, beginning to slam down its leg again, this time, aimed right for her chest. The girl opened her mouth to scream, but no sound escaped her full and slightly pouty lips. She could only stare with absolute terror as the leg flew ever closer to her chest. Suddenly, right in the nick of time, a man appeared, wielding a large sword that stopped the attack from the horrible monster. The man had bright red hair, tied into a spiky ponytail. He turned to her, and she couldn't help but stare. He had a weird pair of sunglasses on the top of his head, and she could see tattoos around his face and going down his neck. He was wearing black robes, his large sword in hand. She wondered for a moment just who-or what-he was.

"Are you alright?" He asked his voice slightly gruff and harsh with urgency. The girl could only nod, completely shocked and in awe, unable to speak. After looking her up and down, making sure the girl was really alright, the man turned towards the monster. The only serious injury he could see was her leg, but he was sure that it could be treated.

"You really should pick on people your own size, you know." He addressed the centipede-like creature, his voice becoming cocky and assured. The girl's eyes became wide. He actually thought he could beat that thing? He certainly acted like it.

"S-Sir! That thing is really strong!" she cried out, suddenly embarrassed by how dim and young she sounded. The man just gave her a smirk and a slight laugh.

"Please! This guy is all talk. Don't worry about it, I've got him!" he replied, a dangerous gleam in his eye.

"All talk, huh?" the monster snapped, irritated at being so terribly underestimated. "Well, let me show you how strong I am!"

"Bring it on!" the man cried, charging for the centipede. When he got close enough to the creature, he prepared to swing his sword, but the monster was too fast. It stabbed him with one of its legs and threw him to the side, not once stopping or slowing down, heading straight for the defenseless girl. She let out a terrible scream as it stabbed her through the chest, holding her high in the air, right in front of its face.

"I've got you now, little girl!" it cackled with victory, opening its mouth wide, bringing her closer to it, ready to devour her.

"No!" the man cried, and suddenly he was there, and cut off its leg that was holding her. As she began to fall, he caught her in his strong arms, and gently laid her down on the ground as the monster cried out in pain. She was breathing hard, and losing a lot of blood. The man stood up and began to fight the monster with all of his strength. The poor girl had done nothing to deserve this, he was sure. She was just an innocent bystander who had been in the wrong place at the wrong time, and now look at her. He would not let the monster get away. He would save the poor girl. That was his job.

"Hah! With you fighting like that, you will never even hope to kill me!" it cackled repulsively. This only strengthened the man's resolve, and he knew then what he had to do.

"Bankai! Hihio Zambimaru!" he cried, and then suddenly his sword began to change. The girl watched with blurry vision as the sword the man held in his hand turned dragon-like and a huge explosion flew out of its mouth and literally blew up in the monsters face, crying out in pain as it dissipated into thin air. She felt so cold and heavy laying on the ground. She could hardly see, her vision was so blurry. The pain in her chest was excruciating, and she knew that she had lost a lot of blood. It became harder and harder to breathe, and she coughed up blood. She could vaguely feel herself being picked up off of the ground, and she could hear the man trying to talk to her, but he sounded a million miles away.

"Hey! Stay with me, now! It's going to be alright, the monster is gone now and you will be all fixed up like nothing ever happened! Talk to me, what's your name?" the man was saying, trying to keep his voice calm. He was losing her, he could tell.

"R-Ren." The girl whispered in his arms.

"Ren what?" he asked desperately, trying to keep her awake.

"R-Ren…Hayashi…" she breathed as her eyes began to close and consciousness left her.


End file.
